<![CDATA[Voice of Compassion

We stopped at Food For the Poor – who donate rice to Lavaud. (See coordinating pictures in our slideshow)
We stopped at Mission of Hope – who have been handling all of the things we ship to Lavaud free of charge, and supply the school children with meals.
We stopped to give an estimate for drilling 10 wells for a company that supplies water purification equipment (I said it was a technical trip, didn’t I?)…
And we saw poverty at its worst in the heart of Port au Prince.

Then we got to Hinche. On our first day in Hinche, we visited the two main schools and visited every classroom. Because of your generosity, we handed out special little treats to every student, and even to the teachers!

The campus at Rhode is almost unbelievable. What concrete block work there is, is crumbling. The rest is rough lumber and tarps; overcrowded benches that look like they could collapse at any moment.

We stopped at the orphanage, which is made of new buildings financed by a group in Oregon, but in great need of beds and supplies to care for the 52 orphans in residence there. I don’t know exactly how many children share each bed, but I’m sure it’s better than being out on the street. The workers there are hopeful that they will be paid, but they are there doing the job even when they‘re not.

We went to the livestock market to buy goats with money donated from individuals at The Vine, so we could give them to families at the church.

We visited the woman who makes the uniforms for the students.

And then, two very special things happened. First, upon my arrival, and unbeknownst to us, a group of students spontaneously broke out in a soccer game. They had all run to get on their uniforms and play a game for us… those very uniforms were the ones from Kimberly High School that had been donated a few years back! We never knew what had happened to them, and here they had gone toward forming actual soccer teams for the students! I was floored, and overwhelmed to be in the presence of a very real way some casual donations had become something so meaningful to these kids!

The second event is very personal to my me, and my wife. I was presented to a group of students as a visitor, and when Lavaud said my name, a girl in the room became exceedingly excited and joyful, and ran up to me with heartwarming delight as an old friend would do… she is the student my wife and I have been sponsoring! Her unabashed happiness at meeting me, her gratitude and joy, to see the happiness our efforts have caused in such a spontaneous and moving fashion – I was again overwhelmed. I cannot explain how I feel, except to say that I left Haiti encouraged, with an awe and gratitude for our mighty God that I am here to share with you, that we may be encouraged in these joys together and be given strength to press on toward that which Christ has called us. God’s hand is amazing.

To our friends, supporters, and donors, I wish to say Thank You. Thank you for your support all year long. For the rummage sale donations, the helpers who move items for hours, who work the sales, for the donations to buy the chairs for the church, the snacks to take to Haiti and give all the kids at school a little treat. And thank you for your prayers.

My purpose was not to swing a hammer or dig a hole, but to see first hand the results of every person’s generosity and to see the associations with other ministries in Haiti that are developing to help meet the needs of those we are called to help, and to see what the highest priority needs are… and lastly, though necessary, to check in on the technical aspects of our ministry. God has definitely used this trip to reveal His priorities, His care for the human heart far above the facilities, His desire for His people to be encouraged and to encourage one another in love, humility, compassion, and gentleness. And to know that in His love there is strength and power to move mountains. Although the conditions continue to seem so bad, and although our efforts seem to chip away at it frustratingly little sometimes, what I walk away from this Missions Trip knowing is that our labor is not in vain. The good news of salvation is creating a community where orphaned children are being cared for, families are being provided for, students are gaining an education and the skills necessary to become self-sufficient and improve their own community through a growth in agriculture and technical skills. And the community is improving!

Conditions in rural Hinche, Haiti, for those impacted by Pastor Lavaud’s ministry and our supporting efforts, are far better than the alternative, and in fact are giving joy and hope for a future! We can continue on, stronger in this knowledge, toward the hope for improving lives and improving facilities for the poverty-stricken people of Hinche, and this is what I bring back from Haiti to share with you.